Why do you write the genre that you write?
I write both historical mysteries as well as contemporary suspense. I love history, especially periods that inspire me to create interesting worlds and bring out unexpected aspects. For instance, in the 1930s within my Art Deco Mysteries, I love to draw attention to the surprising roles and influence that women had prior to WWII. For contemporary suspense I love to focus on friendships. (I don’t write about a domestic marriage issues; I grew up with too much of that in real life.) I adore the pacing of suspense and mysteries. It’s such a great discovery process creating character arcs and relationships while they are figuring out a twisty mystery.

What’s the quirkiest quirk one of your characters has?
I love my protagonist Lane Sanders from the Art Deco Mysteries. My favorite quirk of hers is that when she’s trying hard to be covert when she’s got a mission, she tends to break out with a southern accent for no reason. She also shares a quirk of mine in that I cannot EVER get song lyrics right. I’m always singing the wrong ones like “Very last city” instead of “Paradise city” and I thought that the Steve Winwood song that goes “Bring me a higher love” was “Frankly I’m high on love.” (LOL) So Lane sings Benny’s from Heaven instead of Pennies from Heaven.

How did you come up with your pseudonym?
Chandlar is a pseudonym and it’s a family name. My original name and married name are both hard to say and spell, so I had a lot of fun choosing any name I wanted! Plus that side of the family is oddly mysterious (fortune tellers, gangsters and they keep themselves to themselves) so I figured that was a great basis for a mystery writer.

Tell us how you got into writing?
I’ve always been an avid reader. I started writing novels after we moved to New York City in 2001, just two weeks after 9/11. We saw the city going through such a hard time yet there was also a warmth in the neighborhood, art was going through the roof, humor was so helpful in the healing… I happened to pick up a biography about Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia, the three-time mayor of NYC during the Depression, and there was a striking similarity of the beauty in the midst of adversity during our time and his. I loved the Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters and I got an idea to write a historical mystery based on LaGuardia and the mayor’s office. After I figured out how to find my own methods and get time to write with two young kids, I started and kept on going.

What jobs have you held before, during and/or after you became a writer?
I graduated with a PR degree from the University of Michigan and worked at General Motors (like the good, original Detroit gal that I am). I later toured with and managed my husband’s rock band. We played in 46 of the 50 states (including Hawaii!). We worked with a nonprofit where we’d do charity concerts for military bases, college campuses and prisons on top of the regular bar and event gigs. I’ve also been a major fund raiser for nonprofits, an event planner, and a mentor with an arts organization for over 25 years.

Where do you write?
I used to write in coffee shops prior to the pandemic. I love the energy of people yet no one requires anything of me. I did get used to writing at home and figured out how to find more energy while avoiding emptying the dishwasher and other procrastination obstacles. We have a small apartment, so while many writers were creating their own offices in unused rooms in their homes, I was trying to figure out how the heck to write with two teens, two cats and one husband in our teeny tiny place. I want my own office SO BAD! I just recently figured out it’s because I’m an only child and I always had my own room until I got married and I want my own space again – LOL. No sharing.

What is your favorite deadline snack?
Hot popcorn with parmesan cheese grated over it, sour worms candy, and Pinot Grigio.

Who is an author you admire?
Well there are just too many to name. But for an all-around, fabulous pick I admire the range that Catriona MacPherson has in her writing covering humor within mysteries all the way to dark, brooding plots and scenes with certain lines that would make a trucker blush. I also love that she embodies justice / social justice not only in her writing but also in real life. Plus she called me a “wee scone” once and I’ll never recover from the absolute cuteness of that.

What’s your favorite genre to read?
This year has been stressful and the funny thing is my own books are getting more edgy, but what I read for pleasure is getting more magical and more about family dramas. I love Jamie Brenner for family type dramas and I’m currently reading Alice Hoffman’s Rules of Magic. I ate up a ton of great Christmas novels this season. I especially liked The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan (Edinburgh, bookshop with unexpected nooks and crannies, family drama and humor…).

What are you reading now?
I read a few books at the same time: bedtime books, subway and appointment books, research books, and beach / weekend books. I just finished Wanda Morris’s Anywhere You Run and I’m about to start Alix Harrow’s The Ten Thousand Doors Of January. I’m rereading At The Water’s Edge by Sara Gruen for research on a new book I’m working on. And The Thursday Murder Club is my beach / appointment choice.

What is your favorite beverage to end the day?
A whisky sour for happy hour. Late night cup of black tea with a little milk and sugar.

What is next for you?
I’m working on a book that’s a mix of The Breakfast Club meets Big Little Lies. And a new one I’m just beginning is a women’s revenge novel that takes place on the real life mysterious shores of the Lake Michigan Triangle where ships go down without a piece of driftwood to be found, people disappear behind a door locked from the inside never to be found, and an underwater rock formation that looks an awful lot like Stonehenge. (I’m not kidding – that’s all real).

Where can we find you?
All of my social media is under LA Chandlar. Here are some quick links for you on my website. lachandlar.com/quicklinks

Now to have some fun . . .

Chocolate or vanilla
CHOCOLATE

Cake or ice cream
ICE CREAM

Fruits or vegetables
VEGETABLES

Breakfast, lunch, or dinner
LUNCH

Dining in or dining out
DINING IN

City life or country living
CITY LIFE

Beach or mountain
BEACH

Summer or winter
SUMMER

Short story or full-length novel
FULL-LENGTH NOVEL

Extrovert or introvert
EXTROVERT who likes naps

Early bird or night owl
NIGHT OWL

And even more fun . . .

What is your favorite movie?
Stardust and the new STAR TREK movies. I’m a total Trekky.

You are stranded on a deserted island. What are your three must-haves?
A typewriter/paper (I can’t read my own writing although I have lovely cursive), Rosamunde Pilcher’s book Coming Home, and some rum because it just seems like I should.

My bio:
L.A. Chandlar is the award-winning author of the ART DECO MYSTERY SERIES. She’s been nominated for the Agatha, Lefty, Macavity and Anthony Awards; and winner of Suspense Magazine’s Crimson Pen. She’s been living and writing in New York City for 20 years and has been speaking for a wide variety of audiences including a women’s group with the United Nations. Laurie has also worked in PR for General Motors, is the mother of two teenage boys, and has toured the nation managing a rock band. She is a fierce advocate for women’s rights. She loves coffee and wine, hates thwarted love and raisins.